I'm in the autumn of my years

[panspermia]

Who: Greg Universe and any Rescuers
What: who's this asshole
When: June 18
Where: The Rescuers' ship
Warnings: trauma and PTSD

If Greg has a reaction to entering a massive alien guitar spaceship, he keeps it to himself. Between the drama of the ritual, the return of his maimed soul, and his haphazard rescue, he simply has too much to process first before he can take in the rest of the rescuer operation. As a result, first thing he does is find a small, empty room--a bathroom--and ask to be left alone for a while.

An hour or so later, a very different man emerges again.

It hadn't been his first intention in locking himself in that room, but the longer he'd been in there, the more necessary it had felt. Greg hasn't felt like himself in a very long time. The worst of it was the result of Blanche's meddling with his soul, yes, but it extended before that point as well. The face of his youth, the one Blanche used and tried to make into a different person altogether... Greg couldn't keep looking at that face anymore. It hurt too much, made him too sick. Adding a few years on to his appearance and a beard isn't going to fix it, either; he's not the same person he used to be, either. (After all, he did keep the hair.) But this is better, closer than before. Whoever he is now, this is about as close as he's willing to get.

Greg Universe emerges into the ship, avoiding eye contact, and finally begins to take things in.

Comments

[lateforkindergarten]

"Where is he?" Amethyst happens to be in the middle of asking around about Greg when he quietly appears from out of the bathroom. It doesn't matter if anyone is actually around to listen; she's going to ask the ship walls where Greg is if it will make her feel like she's getting closer to her goal to see her friend. Supposedly soul repair required rest and rest required being alone in a quiet place. It had been hours though.

"I can't wait any longer! I'll watch him sleep if I have to!" Amethyst drags her hands down her face. "Please! He's gotta be okay!" Is she complaining or praying? Hard to tell.

When she finally stops whining that's when she catches sight of him from the corner of her eye. With a loud gasp she makes a leap in his direction and rolls in a blur straight up to him, nearly knocking into furniture on the way. "Greg!"

She doesn't care if he remembers her yet or not. He's getting hugged tightly and a huge grin.

[panspermia]

The ship isn't exactly a quiet place; really, if he didn't know that voice, Greg might have thought she was yelling about something entirely unrelated to him. As it is, he barely managed to turn to Amethyst as she barrels right into him.

"Oorf--!" The force of the hug nearly knocks him to the ground. Greg stares down at the purple mass clinging to him, slightly awed for reasons he can't fully pin down.

"Ah... h-hey... Amethyst."

[lateforkindergarten]

A quick audible gasp escapes her and her grin grows.

"You remember me? You remember me!" She keeps on squeezing and starts lifting. Time for a celebratory swing-around Greg. "It's about time you did!"

[panspermia]

No wonder that first blow of a hug nearly brought him down; even if he remembered she was strong, getting so easily swung around by someone so much smaller is another thing altogether. Greg blurts out a startled laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry it took me so long." A lot of details are still lost in the haze, but the important stuff is back.